What’s the first thing that you think of when you think of the Philadelphia Flyers? Okay, besides Gritty. It’s the Broad Street Bullies. The Flyers historically have been a team that you don’t want to play. In the classic Bullies sense, that meant a team that could physically beat you into submission. That, however, is not how things work in the modern NHL.
Physicality is still a major factor in the modern NHL. The Flyers went after size in the 2025 draft, with only two of their nine picks being under six feet tall. But there is more to bullying than physical intimidation.
I presented the case on my podcast, Flyperbole (please like and subscribe) that the Flyers need to be modern bullies. They can get into people’s heads in other ways. There are guys on the current team that already do that. Travis Konecny has long had a reputation for being annoying as hell to play against. Wayne Simmonds once told the Courier Post that Konecny “doesn’t stop talking ever.” It gets to people, with Konecny frequently drawing the ire of the opposing team.
Similarly, young Flyer Matvei Michkov has taken suit. Michkov has taken entirely too many penalties in his sophomore season, but he’s pissed the opposition team off time and time again. Michkov routinely finds himself with a number of guys in his face once play ends. Look at the recent game against the Boston Bruins, where Michkov made an ill-advised play where he shot a puck towards the Bruins net after a play had been called offsides. The ensuing scrum resulted in Michkov and Bruins star David Pastrnak being sent to the box, a trade-off that I’ll take any time.
Should Michkov have shot that puck? Absolutely not. It’s poor sportsmanship and just not something that you do. However, it is the kind of play that flat out pisses the other team off. This kind of bullying can throw the other team off of their game. From an NHL perspective, this kind of scrum is great drama and helps raise the tension and the stakes in the game at hand. You know who else liked this matchup? Viewers.
Even newer to the franchise than Michkov are forwards Trevor Zegras and Porter Martone. Zegras joined the Flyers over the summer after a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras was well-known for his phenomenal stick handling skills and amazing track record in the shootout, but his pest skills are not nearly as well known. Early into his tenure with the Flyers, Zegras showed us just how annoying he can be, getting into it with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He pulled this 80s bully head bob move:
And then things got so bad in overtime that Zegras got tossed and wasn’t allowed to participate in the shootout! This team brings out the worst in their opponents, in the best way possible. There’s a reason that both of the Saturday Flyers-Penguins games are scheduled for prime time at 8pm eastern. The NHL knows that there is going to be more of this and people are going to eat it up.
That brings us to the newest member of the Flyers, Porter Martone. Martone came into the league with so much of a pest reputation that the refs were giving him reputation penalties right out of the gate. Martone was the captain of the 2026 Canadian World Juniors team, and boy, was he up to no good. Martone earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he patted Czechia’s Adam Novotny on his way past their bench. And then his team skipped the handshake line! The team pleaded ignorance when it came to the handshake line, but come onnnnnn. Martone has already been in a number of scrums during his brief time in the NHL and was even recently knocked down by the New Jersey Devils’ Simon Nemec in their late season matchup.
The new style of Flyers bullies are the kind that beat you both on the ice and in your head. They’re not a neanderthal with a club, they’re Tyler Durden and the Joker laughing their asses off while getting pummeled.
If the Flyers can harness this chaotic energy, it could be a force to be reckoned with around the league. As for the NHL itself, the bully form of the Flyers is a character that the league needs. The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the most recognizable brands in the sport. Gritty is a worldwide phenomenon even independent of hockey. The league is better with the Flyers as a major presence. If it has to be in a villainous role, then so be it. They can always be on the Jury of the Damned!
